Dollywood at Christmas

hey, ive never been to this event, thinking about checking it out. has anyone been in the last couple weeks? i know its been rough weather wise, are the coasters generallly open if its cold? just wanted to get some thoughts from you guys before i drive 20 hours round trip, lol:) thanks!

I went last December and it was awesome, a *little* chilly but invigorating in a way. Just dress warm. ;-)

Thunderhead and TN Tornado were running most of the day. They shut down THead about an hour before closing, but that was because it dropped below 42 degrees. I *heard* that is when they close it down. I don't know how true that is, but yes, all the coasters were open. Nothing like riding THead at night in the chilly weather!

The whole park is beautiful, especially at night decked out in Christmas lights! :-) It's almost overwhelming. It's worth the trip, Tim!

Last year we had nearly ERT conditions, especially in the morning and late evening. It was da bomb! I will be there again!

It's my birthday present to me. :-P

-Tina

*** Edited 12/11/2005 7:48:08 PM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

I believe they're open for all weather above 40 degrees. We went last year and had a blast riding Thunderhead, Tornado, and all of the other non-water rides all day. A huge group of us is going again next weekend, so it should be a blast. Highly recommended. :)

+Danny

I had asked about this a couple of months back, because we are going the day after Christmas. Here's the link for the thread.

www.coasterbuzz.com/forum.aspx?mode=thread&topicID=43337

The outlook for Dollywood on December 17 is a High of 50*. You should try and make it then, vacoasterfreak. Trust me ;).

Are you sure you can't make it, Tim?

We went the Sunday before Thanksgiving. When it drops below 40 is when the coasters close. The day we went it stayed in the 50s and all the rides were operating. They were running one train on each coaster. Thunderhead had a wait of about 5 trains, but the wait on the Tornado was minimal and later in the day they were letting you reride if there were open seats.

It is a cool trip to the park becuase it is dark most of the time you are there, something that you cannot experience at Dollywood during other times of the year. They put a lot of effort into the lights, and they really add something to the atmosphere of the park.

The price for the event is high IMO ($40), but it is worth it if it stays about 40 degrees. I don't think i would have paid that price just to see the lights and shows though.

Dollywood's is all right, but the REAL one is at Silver Dollar City and the awards prove it...

• One of the Top 10 places in the nation to have a bright Christmas by USA Today
• Nation's #1 Holiday Light Show by America's Best Online
• One of the Top 5 Places for the Holiday, this one was just awarded and I cannot remember which magazine Lisa Rau said it was at the ACE event.

I'm sure DW's is similiar, but for those who have never been to one (either SDC's or DW's) here is a taste of what you could expect...

http://www.midwestinfoguide.com/features/otc/2005/

lol.

The shows are what makes the event though. The huge production of Dicken's Christmas Carol is one of the big draws to SDC. That being said, I would imagine that DW is just as pretty. I for one hope that it isn't as crowded there as it is here during the event. They have all the lots full by 3pm most weekends and have to bus people in from Branson East.

Thanks for the helpful info, Swoosh. I'm sure you've now convinced Tim to drive an extra 30 hours RT to make it out there for the Dicken's Christmas Carol show, if nothing else.

/There is a world outside MO... Swoosh has just never seen it
//I keed, I keeed
///no, seriously...

I know you are joking, but I present my track record of over 300+ coasters and then ask you to repeat your statement with a straight face. ;)

You know the only reason I do this is to push Dukeis#1's buttons. :)

I've been to the City and it is good. But Dollywood is still better. =p

+Danny

Oh and to push +Danny's buttons too -- can't leave him out. ;)

I'd give the edge to Dollywood, mainly for Thunderhead, but both parks are soopa doopa. :)

^ Agree totally! To be fair...I loved both parks and would consider a day at any HFEC park to be a "treat".

Now, I got BSF but think *I* would definitely prefer a day with P-Keg....SDC already had the steel goodies on DW anyway, even though I do love that next-gen Arrow TT. But, let's face it, T-head is a top-ten woodie by almost any standards, and I thought it gave a slight edge to Da Wood. Every mine train in existence (well, 'cept for SFFT's) should feature the seating configuration found on TNT!

Even IoA is too cold for me at Christmas.... ;)

^Yeah, I can see how 70 degrees would be freezing. ;-)

Thunderhead and TN Tornado are both sweet, but it's the *whole park experience* when it comes to Dollywood. The food, the atmosphere, the sights.....everything.

I haven't been to Da City since I was like 11 or 12 but I am going to make it a priority for next year.

-Tina

You might as well stop by and ride OzCat while you are in Branson, Tina. Then swing up by KC and ride my new toy. :)

Also, IMHO the only thing that DW has on SDC is Thunderhead as the rest of the rides at DW are equal or below par to what SDC has... that being said, I would wager that will be taken care of before 2009.

Yes, but Dollywood is busy *improving* right along with ya there, Swooshy... ;)

edit: I can NOT wait for the ARN&R-style rumors about HFEC and a multi-coaster deal with GCII...my crystal ball must be coming in crystal clear, LOL. I mean, seriously, after Thunderhead, who ELSE is going to get to build SDC's wooden coaster. There are other coaster designers out there, but then you can't get THOSE trains... :)

*** Edited 12/15/2005 4:03:59 AM UTC by rollergator***

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Swoosh said:
You know the only reason I do this is to push Dukeis#1's buttons.

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Just so you know, I'm burnt out on HFE for the time in being. Stone Mountain was in crappy shape, plus I was underwelmed at Dollywood in 2005 - something was wrong on every visit.

Perhaps too much of a good thing? :)

Anyway, I'm taking a break until sometime next Spring. ;)